1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for issuing tickets and, more particularly to a ticket issuing apparatus for issuing the boarding tickets for vehicles such as airplanes and ships, or for invalidating such tickets, as needed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical of ticket issuing apparatuses is one which deals with the boarding tickets for airplanes, ships, or similar vehicles. This kind of ticket issuing apparatus enters the departure time, arrival time, reserved seat number and other necessary items one a slip which is accommodated in the apparatus. The slip on which such items have been entered is emitted from the apparatus as a boarding ticket. To produce a boarding ticket, the slip is sequentially routed through a transport path provided in the apparatus.
A keyboard or similar input unit is associated with the ticket issuing apparatus and manipulated by an operator to enter the above-mentioned necessary items on the slip. The items entered on the input unit are not directly written on the slip. Specifically, the items entered on the input unit are first magnetically recorded on the slip as magnetic data by a magnetic write head or similar magnetic writing means which is disposed in the apparatus. Subsequently, the magnetic data are magnetically read out of the slip by a magnetic read head or similar magnetic reading means also disposed in the apparatus. The magnetic data read out of the slip are printed out on the slip in a predetermined format by printing means. These means constituting the apparatus are located on a predetermind transport path. It is a common practice to sequentially arrange the magnetic writing means, magnetic reading means and printing means in this order along a transport path which extends from the lower portion to the upper portion of the apparatus. A slip which is to be used to make a boarding ticket is fed from a slip storing section located in the apparatus to the upwardly extending transport path by suitable transporting means. The slip is sequentially routed through the magnetic writing means, magnetic reading means and printing means in this order and is then emitted from the apparatus through a slot located in the upper portion of the apparatus. Part of the transport path, between the magnetic writing means and the printing means, extends linearly in the up-and-down direction for mechanical reasons.
The problem with the conventional ticket issuing apparatus described above is that the portion of the transport path extending between the magnetic writing means and the printing means in the up-and-down direction increases the overall height of the apparatus. Such an apparatus is not very stable and requires a substantial space for installation when placed on a counter or similar support at an airport or similar facility. Since the printing means is positioned in close proximity to the top of the apparatus, the previously mentioned slot or outlet has also to be positioned at a high level. Handling tickets which come out of the apparatus at such a level is troublesome.
The conventional ticket issuing apparatus has only one slip storing section, which is loaded with a stack of slips. Hence, the apparatus cannot deal with an extra or further kind of boarding tickets, i.e., boarding tickets of another airline, unless the slips accommodated in the slip storing section are replaced by the extra kind of slips by the operator. If the extra kind of boarding tickets are not dealt with often the apparatus may be provided with a structure which makes it difficult to replace the slips existing in the slip storing section. Nevertheless, the operator has to handle the extra kind of boarding tickets one by one due to the inherent mechanical arrangement of the apparatus. In addition, a window assigned to the extra kind of boarding tickets, like the slot stated earlier, would necessarily be positioned in the upper portion of the apparatus.
Furthermore, when the slip storing section runs out of slips, it has to be refilled by interrupting the operation of the apparatus i.e., forcing a customer to wait. On the other hand, preparing a plurality of ticket issuing apparatuses to cope with such a situation would be expensive and require additional space for installation.
Generally, a boarding ticket issuing apparatus needs not only the issuing capability stated above but also a capability of invalidating or discarding a boarding ticket previously issued to a customer. It has been customary to provide such an apparatus with a single outlet for both of an invalidated boarding tickets and valid new boarding tickets. It is likely, therefore, that the operator might inadvertently hand an invalidated ticket to the customer in place of a valid ticket. While an exclusive outlet for invalidated tickets may be provided independently of the outlet for valid tickets, such an implementation would increase the number of transport paths and thereby complicate the mechanical arrangement, resulting in an increase in cost.